


Late Reunion, Not as Planned

by Bluefall



Category: DCU
Genre: F/F, None - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-05
Updated: 2011-02-05
Packaged: 2019-06-23 03:33:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15597345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluefall/pseuds/Bluefall
Summary: Babs wants two things back: her thumb drive and her friend.





	Late Reunion, Not as Planned

It wasn't as though thumb drives were particularly expensive, or Helena's visits particularly infrequent, so there was really no need for Barbara to ask her to stop by and drop off the loaned software when she and Renee finished their work.

She'd done it anyway, and Helena, bless her, standing in her living room digging through her pockets while Renee peeled off her mask, had the decency to not even toss off a knowing smirk when she finally found the drive and handed it over.

"Everything go alright?"

Renee and Helena exchanged a loaded glance, and Renee said, "We got what we were after."

"But?"

Renee grimaced. "I really don't want to talk about it."

Barbara looked at Renee, carefully, and said, "Anything you do want to talk about?"

Helena looked back and forth between them, taking in Barbara's blank Oracle facade and Renee's crossed arms and slightly raised eyebrow, and said, with, if possible, even more care than Barbara had just used, "Anything else you need, Babs, or...?"

Barbara mourned the loss of her poker face even as Helena's stubborn loyalty drew an automatic fond smile. "We're fine, Hel. Go home, grade papers, get to bed on time for once."

"If you say so," she shrugged, and nodded to their guest. "Night, Renee. See you around."

"Likewise," said Renee, as Helena made her way to the screenless side window, popped it open, and dropped out into the night.

Barbara parked next to the couch and maneuvered herself onto the cushions as Renee closed the window before making her way back into the middle of the room.

"Have a seat, Renee," offered Barbara, gesturing to the couch opposite.

For a brief moment, Renee hesitated, but then with a diffident shrug, she sank onto the leather and leaned forward. "Been a long time, Babs."

"Only a week."

It earned a faint smile. "Thanks for the crack, by the way."

"It's what I do," shrugged Barbara.

"So it seems," said Renee, steepling her fingers. She cocked her head thoughtfully. "You used to be Batgirl, didn't you."

Barbara blinked in momentary surprise, then smiled back. "I suppose you'd be the one person with all the pieces, wouldn't you."

"Did the Commissioner know?"

"Not at first. I don't know when he figured it out, but he never tried to stop me."

Renee shook her head. "And the white chick with the crazy smile and the purple tights?"

"Yeah, she's with me." Barbara cocked her own head. "What about you? Why the Question? We need good cops."

Renee was silent for a moment.

"... I wouldn't have been a good cop, if I'd stayed," she finally said, a little resigned, mostly just thoughtful and distant. "Too much history, under that badge."

Barbara looked down. "I'm sorry, Renee. I haven't been much of a friend, the last couple years, and I know you could have used another."

"Not your fault," said Renee easily. "I wasn't exactly in the market for close confidantes. I pushed Kate away like I always do. I fought Charlie every step of the way. Even Dee --"

She cut herself off abruptly, staring down at her hands.

The long, deep breath she took to center herself was subtle, but Babs was used to noticing less, and wasn't surprised by Renee's calm firmness when she looked back up. "I wouldn't have let you help if you'd tried."

"And what about before then? The mess with Two-Face? I know a little about having your life ripped open by a lunatic with a bad gimmick. I should have called."

Renee gave her a curious look. "You're not annoyed about that?"

".... annoyed?" repeated Barbara, baffled.

"That I never told you I was gay." She shrugged, her bearing a not-quite-perfect facade of nonchalance. "I actually kind of figured that was why we drifted apart. That you felt insulted that I hadn't told you. Or just." She smiled bitterly. "Didn't want to get hit on."

Barbara was pretty hard to shock speechless. It was something of a necessary trait when lives regularly depended on the ability to react instantly to any changing situation, no matter how implausible, bizarre or unexpected.

But she was speechless now, staring stupefied at Renee in poleaxed disbelief, her normally prodigious intellect reduced to basic brainstem functions like staying upright and remembering to breathe. The power of actual speech didn't return to her until Renee herself had progressed through suspicion, confusion, and insight and was clearly on the cusp of devolving into laughter.

Barbara cut her off with a shake of her head and a wry smile of her own. "God, I'm sorry, Renee, for absolutely anything I ever did to give you that impression." She narrowed her eyes, her smile turning sly. "I would positively love for you to hit on me, please never think otherwise."

Renee rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Babs, that's so good to know."

But she paused at Barbara's unchanging smug expression.

"You're not...."

Barbara raised one eyebrow in a slight challenge.

"You're serious," said Renee, with deep skepticism.

"Should I not be?"

Renee shook her head accusingly. "You never said anything!"

"When was there anything to say? You were with Dee. Then I was with Dick. Then you were with Kate and we hadn't spoken in a year anyway."

This time it was Renee who turned sly, as she slid off the couch and on to the coffee table, leaning within arm's reach of Barbara.

"I'm not with Kate now."

Barbara leaned forward a little warily, a bit taken aback despite having been the one to start this. "Renee...?"

"Babs," said Renee, low and throaty, her face so close Barbara could feel the warmth of her breath against her lips, "you may consider this the opening stages of me hitting on you."

"Well." Barbara swallowed, and pitched her own voice to its deepest, flirtiest register. "You're welcome to take me out for a drink, Ms. Montoya."

"I've got a better idea," purred Renee. "Why don't we order in, and I can show you where the Montoya Hitting On process goes from here."

Barbara considered, for just an instant, being sensible and taking this slow and not risking the friendship that she had started this evening intending to recover. If for no other reason than, were it not for the incredible liquid sex that dripped off every syllable, those would have been the third- and fourth-worst pickup lines she'd ever heard.

And then it occurred to her that she had Renee Montoya within kissing distance, and she closed the gap between them instead, finding her way into that smiling, welcoming mouth so smoothly they could both have been meant for nothing else.

Admittedly, it wasn't exactly an answer to Renee's suggestion, but as Barbara's hand slipped into Renee's hair and Renee slipped into Barbara's lap, she figured Renee had gotten the message, all the same.


End file.
